Wednesday, May 31

adam and eve

Did you know that allegedly the first thing Eve heard in the Garder of Eden were the following words

"Madam, I'm Adam"

Why bother? Well, you might recognize with a little observation that its a PALIANDROME (letter wise only). Poor adam, wonder what made him to make such a choice ;)) - desperation? And Eve seem's to have fallen for it #-o, without a choice maybe :D. Somehow to me it sounds more like it was inspired by T.Raanjendar =)).

Wednesday, May 24

"Nature is the best teacher" - an undeniable fact which has helped people come up with ingeneous innovations lately that ever before. A very noticeable one is in aerodynamics / streamlining of waterborne and even high speed road machines, for many principles are adopted from behaviour of migrating birds and fishes.

Apart from just the science, even the success of a species is dependent on its survival strategy. "Survival of the fittest" is all that evolution favours. Our diurnal activities ain't all that unaffected from this. In fact the most successful societies are the ones that are the most analogous to nature (of course sparing some grotesques of mother nature, even though instinctive).

India boasts of being one of the largest democracies in the world. By virtue of the system bring corrupt, it is quite identifiable as a democratic one :). But offlate, the stand of the government to make reservations at- premium institutes, private sector maybe they'd plausibly even enforce it on theme parks, theatres, public transportation and what not #-o, coz some sections of people don't get the opportunity to visit these places.

Democracy and capitalism are byfar the most successful model (like it or not) in the human race which has withstood the toll of time by natural selection. Communism doesn't exist in true spirit, for it is a system where a select few (unfortunately in this case the representatives of the people) dictate as to who gets what, not based on their ability but based on their need irrespective of the value they contribute to the system. The only beneficiaries of the system are those on the top of the chain capitalizing on the weak mind of the rest.

Imagine a pack of wolves where one of them never joins the hunt, but enjoys the meat. This slowly perclorates through the pack and ultimately there ain't enough produce to share among all, and hell breaks loose. Had there been exceptions of wolves who are physically incapable of going on the hunt, then others providing aid makes sense as long as they contribute in some other fashion. I'm sure you see the analogy with the reservation system being enforced in place.

Now why would you ever work for a system which let alone give incentive, but penalizes you for doing exceptional? Would you work in an organization which pays equal to employees of a cadre regardless of their input to the system? Would you work in a place where the insipid are lauded and remunerated for being loyal subjects whilst the cream are expected to slog in order to compensate for the ineptness of the former for nothing in return, but the same gruel?

How are the governing individuals benifited? Well, they don't care a damn if the country flourishes or goes down in ruins, or what is of your progeny. All they care is their vote bank, and comming to power in the next election so they can drain more of whats left into their reserves.

Fundamentally leaders preaching communism are opportunists ≡ capitalists, under a veil that common men are blinded from. The worse part of this whole drama is that the government has not been unable to provide rational explanation as to how it solves problems. The only rational seems to be that "many people are involved in making the decision" *duuuh* #-o. (Check out the title link for what our honorable minister had to say for the very first question. Absolute farce of himself, though and through.)

I don't believe cast based reservation is really going to solve any problem. The system does not ensure that the beneficiaries are those who require it, nor that the beneficiaries are able to contribute back to the system. No longer are our societies bound by our countries borders. If the able are not honoured if not nurtured, they'd just move on to a land of opportunities - at the least they'd save themselves from disgrace.

Don't be surprised if in the not too distant future FC - comes to mean under-previliged *sigh*.

This problem does have two ends. The masses questioning the parliament as to if they are doing the right thing, and the democracy enforcing its upper hand (to save itself from the disgrace of backing up) regardless of the rational. But who am I or you to say what is the right thing to do? Talking in absolutes is easy :) you see.

But is this a realization of the Equalization of Opportunity bill as in Atlas Shrugged? I wouldn't blame if the cream of the youth say - 'India Shrugged', and put an end to all the bragging. And I don't think India can stand up when the industry shruggs.

Lemme conclude this with a letter by Jawaharlal Nehru (not coz I admire him or anything, but for the fact that I and most other can empathize it) - "I dislike any kind of reservations. If we go in for any kind of reservations on communal and caste basis, we will swamp the bright and able people and remain second-rate or third-rate. The moment we encourage the second-rate, we are lost. This way lies not only folly, but also disaster."

Monday, May 22

After a ton of hesitation, we happened to pick this among a bunch of 10 movies to pass the night. Not a moment was disappointing. And Charlie Theron was such a doll :x in this movie, that faint smile (in a flashback) as she walks away just left me in awwwww (a reminiscence perhaps?), for such a breath stealing smile is a *rarity*!!!

I am a big-time lover of (good) sci-fi movies and yes I have got mighty bored of em lately. Too clichéd and frought with unnecessary complexity and twists in an attempt to entice the audience *sigh*, not impressive huh.

Aaaaand I love female warriors, NO not for the big boob or booty kind >:P but the no-nonsense ones (the ones who gets things done, not even the 'Trinity' kind but maybe Dark Angel:-?). Which reminds me of the phrase - "The female is the more vicious in every species", esp. when they decide to get what they want ;) (no hard feelings gals :p). ÆON is slick and bears this vicious look with the mascara on (which reminded me of my vice-principal from school - alphi @ alfonsa jacob >:)), like an effective killing machine never to fail.

This movie was simple as it can be, surfeiting for sci-fi crazy people as I :D, fast paced with nothing grossly illogical with only a few places where it seemed rather weak. By the time you realize it ain't materialization of your fears /reservations, the movie is wrapped-up in a neat way. The last futuristic movie that I loved was "I, Robot". For being able to believe in it (as to what the future beholds) is an integral part to such a movies success, without too much nonsense. This movie stood up to that, considering its 400 years from now. Gosh I wish I could live to see it all 8-> happen.

As for the plot, it was quite simple and easy even for no-brainers. For some reason I felt it analogous to 'The Matrix' :D as we crossed the half-hour mark. The stunts were brilliant, esp. when the ladies penetrate the defenses :-o, *L.O.V.E.L.Y* (not the ladies) is the operative word. And yes, it would be injustice if I forget to mention about the fundu imagination of how the rebels (the monicans) meet up ;).

The moment I saw the dame in this poster it reminded me of Aida (as in the concept art) from Unreal II. Hmm, guess I wouldn't be then visiting satyam to watch this one when it hits the screens. Which means I'm gonna miss one round of steamed corn *slurp*.

And don't worry about me having just given three stars. This movie wouldn't stand a chance in indian theatres, all thanks to the lovely taste of the vulgar crowd. My call - worth it, if you are my kind ;). Adios amigo's!!!

Saturday, May 20

A quick update on a lovely article that I happened to read. Things that we take for granted and get going with life. This one is on friendship, and I found it quite balanced and more importantly paralleling my convictions on the same, which is why am recommending others to read :).

That apart, this is a new magazine brought up by a young group wanting to make a sensible tabaloid for those who dare to enjoy more than just the vices of the crowd. A link to their online presence is available in the sidebar "Bored with Life?". You should be able to see a printed version of the same in a few popular hangouts, bookshops as landmark and even libraries in some software companies. And of course their experimental online version for those who'd prefer it.

Among all the other readings that I do regularly, this I felt was light and right in every aspect (my interests, relevance and not beating aroung, time it takes to read etc). A good indulgence when a bit bored with monotonity in life ;) or in need of some light food for thought :).

Tuesday, May 16

What is it worth? The entire populous is flocking towards the same crap - software / medicine, just to cash in #-o. And look at what is being made of the next generation - an army of great loyal minds, BRAVO!!!

NO to creativity. I am not exagerating the situation here, for its not been very different when I left school. Just that I was more obsessed with what I liked more than what the system liked, and yeah I was seared among the mediocre cadre *sigh*, like I care. Guess not everyone gets away as I did.

What I don't understand is why thrust this obsession of being #1? Worse yet, these people get lost in pursuit of being the top. Why should everyone aspire to become some bill-gates or narayanamurthy? In India #1 has no meaning, for at every corner u'd find a #1. Every parent wants to brag of their kid studying at the premium of institutes abroad, so that they'd sell like hot cakes in the bridal bazaar.

Why not let people be what they are good at? Most human's are much better of being creative rather than loyal servants to some secure system (job) and the institution of scuffling, reproduction and free lifetime support. Being all but thyself :-?, or being more of an animal than that which defines a human.

All that you take with you to your old age and beyond is a personal sense of satisfaction. No money, no accolades, neither an immortal name if you do manage to. Only memories of having lived the way you want to, having done all that you want to, having said all that you have to and the satiation of having lived for thyself.

A request to all those who get to read this, esp Indian's. Let the next generation live up to their dreams, and not yours. Be their guide, not their master.

Sunday, May 14

Mokkai @ Mocha

Supposedly @ 16:00hrs at Mocha - Coffee and Conversations (Khader Nawaz Khan Rd, Nungambakkam). Saaala vatsan turned in only at 5 so I was deevudu kaathufying for an hour X-(. It was visitra's invite to commemorate her failed agenda on her trip down here :D. Nevertheless lovely place to mokkai pottufy, and watch how ppl do it with flair n panache and yes plenty of chicks to dig and kadalai to put if u'v got the tallent.

It was hapless dabbling dabbling dabbling all evening. The place was hep as . It felt so outside of chennai. The costume of the waiter's was downright hilarious. I wondered how they had the guts to were such things. Luk'd like the aide's of an islamic king, like the dress ppl were in "alibaba and 40 thirudargal" =)).

It was gr8 fun catching up with vatsan, jagan, vee-jay madam, prabhu, ferrari, anand, prav-unplugged (the kid), harish (another kiddo), sOmu, sekar (, think I forgot someone) and of course visitra the host and target for the evening.

Friday, May 12

Under Estivation

Most of us are aware of animals that suspend their metabolism during the winter. This act is termed as -

hi·ber·nate (hbr-nt)intr.v.hi·ber·nat·ed,hi·ber·nat·ing,hi·ber·nates

To pass the winter in a dormant or torpid state.

To be in an inactive or dormant state or period.

[Latin hbernre, hbernt-, to winter, from hbernus, relating to winter. See ghei- in Indo-European Roots.]But did you know about creatures who do the same during summer, when their primal activity is sleeping? Me, me, me ... thank you thank you ^:)^ ... *flying e-kisses* to all the fans of estivating janthus as I :D.

Agni Natchathiram is ON ... and to beat it I go into sleep involuntarily. I do have the gift of being able to sleep anytime, anywhere and for however long I can until I develop sore of sleepin. No these I mean in literal sense, for I'v slept in thiruvalluval transport all the way from kanchipuram to chennai, with all the rickety bus parts resonating (no rattling) at their best. Of course only until the vibrations would cause my palms to itch X-(.

But now this is completely out of control. And every morning I wake up like I am having a hangover #-o. Maybe someday in the future ppl will gaze at my mummified body with awe :-o, specimen resulting from natural mummification in the tropics.

Tuesday, May 9

I believe its the 6th year in a row CARVA is making it to 'Saint Thyagarajar's Jeeva Samadhi' at Thiruvaiyaaru (every year during the 1st weekend of May, at the onset of agni natchatram :D this time) where during the aAradhana all the mavens of Carnatic Music pool in to express their gratitude to the saint. It was a double treat - we got to play music under the shelter of the saint's jeeva samadhi annnnd we had a mini summer vacation \:D/.

Senior Students Performing Pancharathna Krithis

The main objective of the whole trip was to play in front of the saint himself (in whatever way we could). Quite honestly it ain't all that feasible to have the experience we had during the Aaradhanai that takes place in january.

The heat was totally on but that didn't dampen, NO didn't dry up the spirits of the people. The enthusiasm was high all through the two days amidst the scortching heat. It would have been much more easy on us had the cauvery been flowing, for all that was left was the sands of the river bed.

Post dusk on the 6th was the NadaHaram (garland of nAdam), being done for the 1st time at Thyagarajar's samadhi. About 40+ students sitting around the praharam, played "hare rama hare rama" in kAnada-kalyAni-dEsh in sequence for about 15 minutes, followed by an amruthavarshini piece and then recital of a virutham - "Jayathu Jayathu' in sanskrit. This was followed with singing by students of carnatic singing.

In my opinion, these kids nandu (just 5 years old) and deepu (proly 8 years old) were the best of the lot. The confidence with which they sung was astounding, maybe not immolate but definitely fraught with confidence. Don't be surprised if you see the tabaloids talking of 'Ashok Nagar Sisters' in a decade.

This short proram was a really great experience. And then we were sitting on the sands on the shores of the cauvery, right where the Aaradhanai is conducted. Oh yeah the kids were playing kabadi and more, with their own rules ;)).

The following morning (7th) was the main event. I was part of the junior group of about 15 students, to play basic krithis. I'd say it was quite an ordinary performance. Here is the list of songs we played -

girirAja suthA (R: bangaaLa)

thelisi raama (R: poornacandrikaa)

ninuvinaa naamadi (R: navarasa kannaDa)

ananda saagara (R: garuDadhvani)

shara shara samaraika (R: kuntala varaaLi)

And then it was a display of deftness by our seniors. This was the best part of the two days. It almost felt like being at a kutcheri ;) I esp. luv'd the improvizations my guru did for the bantureeti gOlu, very enchanting it was!!! Here is the list of songs they played.

rAmabhakti saamrajya (R: sudda bangaaLa)

thuduku gala (R: gowLa)

banTu reeti kOlu (R: hamsanaadam) ****

sobillu sapthaswara (R: jaganmOhini)

saamajavaragamanaa (R: hindOLam) - splendid percussion

sseetha kalyAna (R: kurinji) ***** - amazingly pleasing rendition

jO jO raama (R: reeti gowLa) - I almost went into sleep

And yes, apart from all this the food was so sumptuous it felt like ambrosia. Esp. I loved that asoga sweet, an halwa which is a thiruvaiyaaru speciality *yummmmmmmmmmmmmy*. Don't miss it if you ever get to make a trip. Watching all the kids play was so satiating to the heart. Not just the kids, even their parents joined them in a cricket match. You'd have proly only heard of a walk-over, I witnessed a talk over ;)). Jeeez such cricket craze #-o.

The biggest attraction was the thanjavur temple. It is said that this gOpuram is built such that its shadow will not be seen on the ground #-o. The aAvadayaar (the pedestal on which a siva lingam is mounted) was close to 6 feet and the lingam was about 25 feet, the serpent taken into considerttion it would span upto 30-35 feet. Another speciality was of course the wall paintings, which depict stories of the ancient periods, unfortunately tarnished with peoples scribblings. More than it being a temple, it almost looked like a fort to me.

And finally the Panchanadeeswarar temple, the place surrounded by 5 branches of cauveri. Enroute to the temple u'll find thavil makers all the way. Yet another one of the massive temples of marvel in the thanjavur district by the cholas. Another interesting point to note is this particular spot in the temple where from you shout the word 'aiyAra' (on of lors shiva's name) and it would echo distinctly 7 times. Unfortunately its utsavam time (over a 10 day period), so not quiet enough to notice it well. The kids had a lot of fun once they started shouting :D.

Guess a full account is gonna take me over a week to write, but time is at premium so let me cut this down here :). Adios for now ...

Thursday, May 4

Never Again

will this beauty occur ... similar yes ... but this is probably the 1st and a unique one ... lost in the hustle bustle of the concrete jungle lets not miss noticing this

the time is now - 01:02:03:04/05/06

:)) ... ain't this coolMission Impossible?????

I am off on a 2 day mission to wake up saint 'T' from his jeeva samadhi ;)) ... ironically along with people inclined to appease and seek his blessings ... to add to this, a 10 day festival is in progress in account of the auspicious time I believe ... so wish me luck on my mission definitely possible :D.

Wednesday, May 3

This is a must watch movie for fun loving folks. ICE AGE - The original movie was one of the shortest entertainers when I'm badly in need of one. I luv CGI and the characters here were just fantastic. The 1st movie is about Sid the sloth forming a herd with Manford the mammoth and Diego the sabertooth tiger. All of them in an adventure to return a kid to the humans. Absolutely hilarious it was!!!

The sequel was nothin short of pure fun and yet a wee bit disappointing to die hard fans of the original. Yet again scrat hosts the opening and closing scenes of the movie. I even heard that a new animated series is likely along the lines of Tom & Jerry with Scrat ;). The movie begins with the characters in a natural water park made of ICE with plenty of rides.

Sid the NTPK (nenapu dhaan pozhappu kedukkum in tamil) character is again downright comical as ever as - this time again as Lord of Fire :D. His signature non-stop prattling and kindling of manny into a mushy mood still goes on. This time the family/herd just got bigger with Ellie, Eddie & Crash joining em.

Ellie is the star of this movie ;) and she was outright hep. The movies success goes to this character and the possoms which r such a cutey :-*. The way she sleeps with her tail wrapped to a branch upside-down :)), brilliantly conceived. Sid and Diego especially didn't have much role in this movie but for their presence. Manford is still Mr.Saviour just like any bollywood movie, which turned out to be quite clichéd.

My favourite scene in the movie was when manford tries to impress ellie saying shez got a FAT BUTT. At first ellie goes on suspicion but she quickly likes manny for having said that. For once a gal who likes to be called FAT BUTT=)). And then of course the sloths worshiping lord of fire, which reminded me of a koundamani comedy in tamil. Their mimicking of sid and the short dance that followed before the sacrifice, was typical of the kind of laugh the original movie gives.

The jokes were quite clichéd and I somehow didn't find quite a bit of originality to it. It just lacked the charm of the original movie. Fun, guranteed nonetheless!!!

CGI was fantastic though the gushing water didn't impress me as much as 'Finding Nemo' did. The fur on the animals were stupendous until they go into water, when it started luk'n artificial. The scene of the balancing rocks seemed quite unnecessary to me :-|. It was there for some conversations to be made, and it was too impossible (unless it was a bollywood production). If this scene was to parallel the rescue of Diego in the original, sorry it didn't live up. And the drama brought out by the villainy, and the mushyness that binds the herd was grossly missing this time.

Ellie's eyes were JUST PERFECT. The expressions were absolutely fantastic, esp when manny tries to say it :) ... and the disappointment so evident.

Some might find that its just the same old saving the female in trouble kind movie, but hey thats what animal kingdom is all about - survival, unlike we humans with supposedly higher intellect (yet many just end up do the same :p).

Overall I'd give this movie **** compared to ***** for the original. Very enjoyable, esp if you can listen to the subtle dialogues. Just don't miss it. Besides it got a dash of romance too, for you love birds out there :x. As before a lovely treat for the kids n adults alike. You'll definitely have some hearty laughs, so get on n have a chill trip to the Meltdown this summer.